Build Fails to Connect to PostgreSQL During Dockerization of Payload Application

[SychMusti]

Hi everyone,

I'm trying to Dockerize my Payload CMS application, but the build process fails with an error stating it couldn't connect to PostgreSQL. Here's an overview of my setup and the issue:

Context

• The build stage in my .Dockerfile looks like this:

  FROM setup AS builder
  WORKDIR /app
  
  # Copy environment variable configuration file, source code, and necessary configuration files
  COPY .env.docker .env
  COPY --from=setup /app/node_modules ./node_modules
  COPY . .
  
  # Build the application
  RUN corepack enable pnpm && pnpm run build
  
  

The .env.docker file contains the following environment variables needed at build time:

• PAYLOAD_SECRET
• DATABASE_URI
• NEXT_PUBLIC_SERVER_URL

Reference

I’m following guidance from this blog: Next.js Runtime Variables, which recommends using environment variables for build-time configuration.

Question

Why is the Payload application trying to connect to PostgreSQL during the build process? Is there a way to bypass the connection step at build time? Or is my approach to handling environment variables for the Payload application in Docker incorrect?

Any guidance or best practices would be greatly appreciated!